"Some people get gold fever, I've got deer fever," William 'Bill' Barry chuckles about his "addiction" to deer.
"I just love them, they're a great animal to look at, very majestic, [especially] the stags," he says.
Mr Barry keeps several species of deer at his property near Dargo in the foothills of Victoria's high country.
His home is a shrine to the animal, and is filled with trophies, deer-related ornaments, photos and paintings.
He also likes to hunt them, and eat them in a red wine sauce.
He says the secret to cooking venison is to use an oven bag.
"You can maintain the moisture in the meat and you can use the juices to make gravy and come up with a nice tucker," he explains.
Nowadays, it's more of a hobby, but in the 1980s and 90s Mr Barry ran a successful business leading safaris in Australia and New Zealand.
He even wrote a book about his experiences called, Sambar Hunting Adventures.
He says the challenge of the hunt keeps him interested.
"The killing of the animal is actually an anti-climax," he says.
"It's all about the hunt and trying to outsmart your game animal."
Introduced for hunting, now thriving
Deer are not native to Australia and were first introduced for hunting in the mid-19th century.
Others have been released, or escaped, from captivity.
They have thrived in the Australian climate and are now present in all states and territories.
According to the federal government's National Feral Deer Action Plan, a herd of 30 deer can expand to 500 in a decade.
While exact numbers are a source of debate, the government estimates there could be up to 2 million deer across the country.
In Victoria, the most recent research from the Arthur Rylah Institute estimated there could be between 146,732 and 255,490 deer living on public land.
Their impact is significant, and includes damage to crops, farming infrastructure and habitat, and biosecurity risks to livestock.
Deer are also increasingly venturing into urban areas and cause hundreds of car accidents every year.
According to the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions damage from feral deer in 2021 cost the economy $91.3 million.
But their management is controversial.
Pest or protected wildlife?
In Victoria, eight species are defined as "protected wildlife" and cannot be destroyed without authorisation.
Six of those species are listed as "game" which means they can only be hunted by registered hunters under strict conditions.
It's a similar situation in Tasmania.
But in other parts of the country, they are classified as a "pest" to be eradicated.
The Australian Deer Association's Sean Kilkenny describes Victoria's approach as "mature".
"Game status regulates the hunter, not the animal, this means that we know who is hunting wild deer, we can contact them, we can educate them, we can regulate them," Mr Kilkenny says.
Conservation groups, including the Invasive Species Council, have lobbied extensively for Victoria and Tasmania to come into line with other states and territories.
The Victorian government says the status of deer as "game" does not prevent their control when they are causing damage to the environment or property.
But the council's Jack Gough argues that the confusing definition makes it difficult to instate effective deer eradication and control programs.
"Nowhere else in Australia are feral deer protected as a hunting resource, rather than treated as the pest animal that they are," Mr Gough says.
"And that's a real problem because of the message that it sends to the community … about the impact that feral deer have.
"But also because of some of the restrictions that's placed historically, and ongoing, in terms of the control methods on private land and what people can do."
Mr Gough describes deer as one of Australia's "worst emerging pest species".
"They cause enormous damage to the environment. They rip up crops, and they've become a massive problem on our roads, causing accidents all over the place."
Reforms to Wildlife Act stall
The Victorian government launched its Deer Control Strategy in 2020, saying recreational hunting alone has not proven effective in preventing population growth.
The strategy also committed to a review of the Wildlife Act, which received more than 1,000 submissions from various stakeholders.
An expert advisory panel delivered its report on the Wildlife Act in December 2021, but the Victorian government is yet to release the report, or its response.
Executive director of lobby group the Victorian National Parks Association Matt Ruchel would like to see some action.
"The government had in place a process a few years back around reform of the Wildlife Act in Victoria … and that process has stalled," Mr Ruchel says.
"We'd be keen to see that process reinitiated and reinvigorated."
The debate about deer status also comes amid a controversial push to create a new Great Forest National Park in Victoria, linking existing state parks and protected areas to create a 355,000 hectare conservation zone.
Deer damage 'definitely exaggerated'
Opponents of the plan say it would reduce access to public land for recreational activities like hunting and fishing.
Mr Kilkenny says removing the game status of deer could restrict hunters access further.
"If they were to be removed from the game status, then they would not be subject to regulations," he says.
Mr Barry believes the impact of deer is being overstated.
"I don't think it's a big problem," he says.
"I think that the amount of damage they do is definitely exaggerated.
"You go out in the bush here now where the wild Sambar are … point out some damage, you won't find much."
He believes they should never be eradicated or classified as pests.
"They are a natural resource, they were brought here, acclimatisation societies introduced them for hunting, and it should remain that way," he says.
"It'd be very degrading for the poor animals, any deer that really to go on to the vermin list is ridiculous."
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